Prosecco Wine Region Guide

Geography and terroir

Prosecco is made in the hills of northeastern Italy, encompassing vineyards in both Veneto and neighboring Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Historically, the heartland of production was centered in the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, to the north of Treviso. Yet, before 2009, Prosecco’s geographical boundaries were not officially delimited under Italian law – Prosecco was the name of the variety and could thus be made anywhere. This fact was keenly exploited by wineries in Australia, who made vast fortunes exporting an Antipodean version of Italy’s leading fizz to markets like New Zealand. This led to much consternation in the cellars of Treviso until the authorities decided to act. The solution was to register Prosecco as a protected designation of origin, albeit the boundaries of the DOC are vast indeed. Meanwhile, the name of the variety was changed to one of its regional synonyms, Glera.

As a result, a new quality pyramid was formed to distinguish between ‘everyday’ Prosecco and wines made in the traditional heartland of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. Prosecco DOC is at the base of the hierarchy: huge swathes of productive vineyards in Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Next in line is Prosecco Treviso DOC, restricted to vineyards that flank that handsome city north of Venice. However, the true classical zone is Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superior DOCG. Finally, Prosecco’s unofficial ‘Grand Cru’ terroir is the hill of Cartizze. Vines planted on this Unesco World Heritage Site yield the finest Prosecco wines in Italy: light, creamy, and dangerously moreish. Meanwhile, the local soils range from iron-rich clay to calcareous marls and free-draining sandstone.

Traditionally, there has been very little interest in terroir from critics and consumers, the general perception being that Prosecco is a mass-produced industrial product. In many cases, that’s true. Yet there are over 40 individual crus in Conegliano Valdobbiadene, known as Rive, that produce a wide variety of styles; Congeliano tends to yield a more fruit-driven and topical expression of the Glera grape, in contrast to Valdobbiadene’s floral and feather-light base wines.

Winemaking and regional classifications

The critical mass of Prosecco relies on the Charmat method and the Glera grape, occasionally blended with a small percentage of indigenous and/or foreign varieties. This technique was perfected in the 20th century as an inexpensive and efficient way of producing bulk sparkling wine. It essentially involves undertaking the secondary fermentation in large tanks (as opposed to in bottle) prior to filtration and bottling under pressure.

After the berries arrive in the winery, they will be chilled and pressed immediately to release very fresh and pure free-run juice. This must is then often passed through a cooling mechanism, before being subject to an initial filtration to remove any solid matter. It is then fermented in stainless steel at low temperatures using cultured yeast. A sugar/yeast solution is then added to the tank, and the secondary fermentation can begin. The whole process can take less than two months. However, producing Prosecco Rosé will require a more extended period; gently macerated Pinot Noir wines are blended with Glera to create a more structured and weighty style of Prosecco that consumers love. However, too much red wine will create an excess of undesirable bitter phenolics in sparkling wines.

Conventional wisdom suggests that the tank method cannot produce high-quality sparkling wine. However, no hard evidence leads to that conclusion – the problem with substandard DOC Prosecco is the poor quality of base wines rather than any intrinsic deficiencies with Charmat bubbly. A few pioneers in Germany and Italy have used automated paddles to mix up the wine and yeast sediment over several years, creating a wine indistinguishable from traditional-method fizz. Unfortunately, they remain outliers in an industry dedicated to speedy and cost-effective results.

The lowdown

The subject of Prosecco’s image is a delicate issue in the cellars of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. The creation of a quality pyramid was widely lauded in 2009, yet there has been enormous growth in the generic Prosecco DOC: easy to drink and forget. At its best, supermarket Prosecco has low acidity, a pear drop flavor, and often no qualities that could offend. It is a very pleasant, good-value bubbly for informal occasions, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Yet producers who fly under the DOCG banner are infinitely more ambitious – they want top Prosecco to be taken as seriously as Franciacorta and Champagne. And, to give due credit, the best sparkling wines of Valdobbiadene, Conegliano, and Cartizze have little in common with entry-level brands; the best Prosecco is brimming with creamy fruit and a wonderfully soft texture. If they have been subject to lees aging in tank – such as Valdo No.10 – the level of complexity and finesse is astonishingly high. Moreover, the vast majority of DOCG Prosecco, including the superlative wines of Nino Franco, cost around $25—a veritable bargain when compared to the leading lights of neighboring Trento DOC.

Of course, you can find private label Champagne that hovers around the $35 mark. Isn’t that the better option? Absolutely not: cheap Champagne (excluding high-quality labels on temporary discount) usually offers the worst value of all sparkling wines. You’ll do far better to look outside of Champagne at this price level or lower. So take our advice: look to the delicious and impressive wines of DOCG Prosecco if you desire high-quality weekend drinking but don’t fancy forking out for Krug. The best examples stand on their own merits, offering an unbeatable price-to-quality ratio in the world of premium sparkling wine.

Prosecco gastronomy

It’s not all about bubbly in the heartland of fruity sparkling wine. After a day trip to Prosecco’s prettiest villages, head back to Treviso for cicheti (Venetian bar snacks) and sarde in saor (grilled sardines in a sweet-and-sour sauce). Gastronomy is one of the region’s biggest trump cards, and restaurant kitchens only work with the freshest, seasonal ingredients. Many of Italy’s most romantic restaurants are found in Venice, although you’ll pay for the pleasure – especially if you sit outside!

A Guide to the Gastronomy and Cuisine of the Veneto: Read more